World Famous Pastrami? Personal Challenge: Day 29 (10.15.12)

Since I didn’t get home until after midnight and had to wake up at 6am for work, my energy levels are minimal so it looks like another food trial adventure.

So many times I have passed by The Hat at Lake and Villa in Pasadena. I never stopped even though I was intrigued by their sign raving about their “World Famous Pastrami.”

To be honest, I’m not even sure if I have ever tried Pastrami. When I was a child, my Nana was big on feeding us sandwiches. We usually had cooked salami sandwiches but there were times when we didn’t have a choice. We had to eat whatever she made for us. So I could have had a Pastrami sandwich before but I know that I have never personally ordered one for myself at a restaurant. So The Hat and its World Famous Pastrami dip would be my adventure for the day… and as it turns out, one that would last through the night and into the next morning.

When you walk into The Hat, it definitely has the old school 1960s diner feel. You just walk up to the counter, place your order and work your way (through the condiment packets available) over to the other end to wait for you meal. I ordered the infamous Pastrami Dip sandwich, a small order of fries and a drink. Don’t expect fast food prices, expect diner prices where one meal, with a side and a drink will cost about $15 per person. I placed my order to go and couldn’t wait to dig in when I returned home.

With my cats by my side, I managed to eat half of the sandwich and about two thirds of the fries. This meal could feed two people, easily. The sandwich was really good but I don’t have anything else to compare it to since this is my first restaurant Pastrami sandwich. The fries were really good, though.

Unfortunately, around midnight, my stomach decided that it didn’t like the Pastrami sandwich after all. I don’t know if it was undercooked or maybe my stress levels messed with my digestion but I spent the majority of the night bowing before the porcelain god. I continued throwing up in the morning, making it clear that the Pastrami sandwich no longer resided in my stomach.

So based on this experience, I don’t think I will ever order the Pastrami sandwich from The Hat again but I would go back for the fries.